Appearance related to an untimely request that the Board waive the $2,500 campaign finance late fee assessed against Christopher Tyson, in his capacity as a candidate for Secretary of State in the October 24, 2015 election election, whose 2016 Supplemental campaign finance disclosure report was filed 65 days late.

Facts:

Christopher Tyson states that upon receiving the Board's letter dated April 3, 2017, he submitted the 2016 Supplemental Campaign Finance Disclosure Report online via the LEADERS system. He states that during the campaign and afterwards, his campaign post office box was managed by a campaign staffer. During the campaign and for a period afterwards, he states that he periodically checked the post office box. He states that practice ended sometime in late 2016 and he went months without checking the post office box. He states he was under the impression that all campaign finance filings were complete since his campaign fund-raising and expenditures ended in 2015 and he filed what he believed to be a final report in January of 2016. He states that the only outstanding financial obligations after his October 2015 election were personal loans he made to the campaign. He states he was mistaken in thinking that the money he personally loaned his campaign did not have to be reported as forgiven on a Supplemental report.

Comments:

ELECTION: October 24, 2015TYPE OF REPORT: 2016 SupplASSESSED FEE: $2,500REPORT DUE: February 15, 2017REPORT FILED: April 21, 2017ACTIVITY REPORTED: $2,569.80 in Receipts, $42,842.15 in Disbursements and $0 Funds on Hand at Close of Reporting Period (Repayment of Personal Loans)

OTHER LATE FILINGS: NONE

Law:

18:1505.4.A(1) Any candidate, the treasurer or chairman of a political committee, or any other person required to file any reports under this Chapter, who knowingly fails to file or who knowingly fails to timely file any such reports as are required by this Chapter may be assessed a civil penalty for each day until such report is filed. 18:1484.(2)(b). Each candidate for any other public office shall file reports of contributions in excess of two hundred dollars in the aggregate during the aggregating period.